Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG — Behind four Hokies in double figures, Virginia Tech defeated South Dakota State 72-60 in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament inside Cassell Coliseum Sunday evening.
With the win, the Hokies (29-4) advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history (1999) and earn their program-record 29th victory of the season. South Dakota State, the Summit League champion, had its 22-game winning streak snapped, which was the second-longest active streak in the country.
Tech will await the winner between No. 4 seed Tennessee and No. 12 seed Toledo on March 25 in Seattle, Wash.
Georgia Amoore drained a career-high seven treys on her way to a game-high 21 points – her 12th game of 20 or more points on the season. Amoore was joined in double-figure scoring by Elizabeth Kitley, who notched her 21st double-double with 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. The two-time ACC player of the year also registered a game-high five blocks to set the program record for career blocks at 261.
Taylor Soule and Kayana Traylor chalked up 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Cayla King drilled three treys for nine points.
The Hokies came out clicking on all cylinders, shooting 52.8% in the first half. They finished at 41.8% shooting for the game, while holding the Jackrabbits to 37.3%. Tech out-rebounded South Dakota State, 43-36.
Myah Selland paced three Jackrabbits in double-figure scoring with 17 points. Paige Meyer and Haleigh Timmer chipped in 12 points apiece.
How it Happened
» Amoore hit her 100th triple of the season to open the game, one of five triples by the Hokies in the opening stanza
» Tech was dialed from downtown in the first quarter, converting 5 of 9 (55.6%) from beyond the arc to build a 19-7 advantage; Amoore was 3 for 6 from deep in the period
» Once down by 20, South Dakota State trimmed its deficit to 13 (33-20) with 3:03 left following a 9-2 surge by the Summit League champion
» The Hokies ended the second quarter on a 10-0 run highlighted by back-to-back triples from Taylor Geiman and Cayla King for a 46-23 halftime lead – the most first-half points by Tech since scoring 47 vs. NC State on Feb. 19
» VT shot 75% in the second stanza, connecting on 12 of 16 field goals
» The Jacks answered out of intermission with a 10-2 spurt to get within 15 (48-33) with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter
» South Dakota State went 10 for 13 (76.9%) from the free-throw line in the third quarter as the Jacks outscored Tech, 20-13, in the frame
» With the Hokies' lead cut to 10, Amoore sank her fifth three of the game off a baseline out of bounds play to push Tech's lead to 69-56 with 1:50 remaining
Game Notes
» VT moved to 1-0 against South Dakota State and improved to 11-11 in NCAA Tournament games (12 appearances)
» Tech advances to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history (1999)
» The Hokies won their 13th consecutive game – their longest win streak since VT won 15 straight to open the Kenny Brooks era
» Tech earned its 29th victory of the season, setting a program record
» VT recorded its 16th win inside Cassell this season, setting a program record
» Tech is a No. 1 seed for the first time in program history and hosted an NCAA Tournament second-round game for the first time since March 23, 2004 vs. Penn State
» Georgia Amoore topped the 20-point plateau for the 12th time this season, finishing with a game-high 21 points
» Elizabeth Kitley notched her 21st double-double of the season behind 14 points and 14 rebounds
» Kitley (261) broke the program's career blocks record previously held by Ieva Kublina (256)
» The two-time ACC player of the year is seven points shy of 2,000 for her career
» The Hokies held their sixth straight opponent to below 40% shooting
» With the loss, South Dakota State's 22-game winning streak came to an end; it was the second-longest active streak in the country, only trailing South Carolina's 33Gallery: (3-19-2023) WBB: NCAA Second Round vs. SDSU